Wisconsin women's basketball head coach Lisa Stone will see her former Bulldogs for the first time since her inauguration at UW in 2003 Thursday night in the Badgers' home opener.
Stone coached at Drake from 2000-'03, where she compiled a 64-27 overall record and .778 Missouri Valley Conference winning percentage in three years, including a conference championship in her first season at the helm.
Drake (1-0) returns three starters and eight letter-winners from last year's co-MVC championship squad and defeated Texas State 72-54 in its home opener last Friday.
The Bulldogs had four players in double figures in the win, led by senior guard Ashleigh Brady's 18 points. Senior forward Lauren Dybing tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds in Drake's first double-double of the season. Juniors Jordann Plummer and Monique' Jones both added 10 points apiece.
The Badgers, meanwhile, lost their season opener Monday to South Dakota State 64-44 in Brookings, S.D.
After racing out to an 8-0 lead, Wisconsin went cold and shot just 34 percent from the floor while committing 23 turnovers.
We've got to make some better decisions, take higher percentage shots, try to get the ball inside more and be a little tougher,"" Stone said following the loss to SDSU. ""This team here showed us what toughness is all about.
""We have a very strong non-conference season, and it's going to make us better,"" Stone said. ""This is something we can really learn from.""
The Jackrabbits were 6-for-7 from behind the arc in the first half and 16-for-22 from the field in the first half and never looked back.
Sophomore guard Alyssa Karel paced the Badgers with 11 points and five rebounds, and freshman forward Anya Covington added eight points and four boards in just 15 minutes of play.
Drake leads the series with Wisconsin 5-3, with Stone defeating the Badgers 59-49 in the most recent matchup in 2003 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Wisconsin has not started a season 0-2 since the 2002-'03 campaign.
Tipoff for Thursday night's contest between Wisconsin and Drake is set for 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center. This game will also be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network's website, www.bigtennetwork.com.
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
